Hiking Maderas Volcano, Ometepe, Nicaragua.

Altitude: 1394 meters

Distance: 9.6kms round trip with an elevation gain of 1142 meters.

Walking time: 6-8 hours depending on your fitness.

Hiking Maderas volcano on Isla Ometepe is a wonderfully rewarding hike with incredible views of the volcanos crater and although challenging at times is totally worth it!

As usual, we didn’t really know anything about hiking Volcano Maderas before we went, we actually didn’t even know it existed until we were taking the ferry to the island of Ometepe where we saw two giant peaks towering over everything on the small island. So we made it our primary goal to hike both Maderas and Concepcion and we figured we would start with the smaller one first.

If you are also interested in Hiking Concepcion Volcano click the link for more info.

Here is also a full list of things for you to do while on Ometepe Island

At no extra cost to you, some of the links in this article are affiliate links and by using them Sara and I receive a small commission. This goes towards helping us continue to explore and write articles like this. 😁

Getting to Maderas Volcano

Getting to Maderas Volcano is fairly easy depending on how you want to go about it. First, you will need to get a ferry from San Jorge on the mainland to Moyogalpa, Ometepe, ferries run about every hour, take about 90 minutes and the cost of a ticket is 50 NIO or about $1.50 USD plus a $1 USD tax to enter the ferry port. Once on Ometepe, Maderas will be on the other side of the island so you have a few options to get there. We arrived with our van so we drove there but you can stay at a hostel in Moyogalpa and then either hire a motorbike and ride there yourself or take a taxi and stay closer to the start of the hike, the second option would be my recommendation.

Below you can see Finca Magdalena. This is where we started the hike from.

Where to stay on Ometepe

In Moyogalpa we stayed at Hostel Papagayo the beds were clean and the staff were friendly. If you are after a cheaper option there is also Hostel Casa Mauro which is ranked very highly on hostelworld.

If you’re looking for a bit of a different area while still close to the start of the hike though there is El Zopilote hostel. It is actually an organic permaculture farm with accommodation ranging from camping and hammocks with mosquito nets to dorms and incredibly beautiful private huts tucked into the middle of the rainforest.

Staying closer to the hike there are also a few options. Hostel Lazy Crab is your best option it is super close to the start of the hike and they will also be able to arrange a guide for you and transportation to the exact start of the hike. The other option is Hostel Finca Magdalena which is directly at the start of the track, however, it is super basic, the toilets and showers were not that clean and the beds were not super comfortable. If you want convenience though this is the spot.

Hiking Maderas Volcano without a guide.

As stated below it is mandatory to have a guide with you while on this hike. We did meet a couple most of the way up that had come through without a guide. They were also lost though and concerned about which way they had to go. So yeah you can do it without a guide but it is better to go with one. Even if the only reason is helping out the local population.

Hiking Maderas Volcano with a guide.

So it is mandatory to have a guide while hiking Maderas volcano. While this is not our style we try and obey the local rules and regulations as much as possible. Not only that, it helps put money back into the local economy and support the local people.

Also its not that easy to get lost but it is possible and it is extremely muddy and rocky towards the top and injuries are probably pretty common. I fell over numerous times and once was actually kind of painful haha.

Anywhere you stay should be able to either organize a guide for you or direct you to someone that can. The price for guides for the day varies but we paid around $30 USD for ours. If you are staying outside of the area you will be able to organize packaged transportation and guide deals but prices will vary depending on how far you are staying from the start of the hike.

We did not actually book anything beforehand and it is not necessary to do so really(in my opinion). Hostel owners seemed to have all the deals and times on hand.

Hiking Maderas Volcano.

I should also mention there are multiple tracks to the top of the volcano Maderas but the one starting from Finca Magdalena is the shortest and most trafficked route making it probably the easiest also.

So hiking Maderas volcano itself is not that bad (a basic level of fitness is required though), it is not too steep in any particular section except for maybe the last 100 or 200 meters heading down to the crater. What was the hardest for me to deal with was the heat. All the hiking we normally do is in pretty cold climates but starting off our hike in 35 C was a nightmare haha I was sweating worse than ever within the first kilometer, as you climb up though it does cool down a little and the sweating eventually stops especially once you hit the cloud line.

The first 2.5kms are relatively easy, flat and non-muddy and we did half of the hike in 1 hour, after that though it becomes a game of watching where you step which is a little annoying but it slows the pace and makes it a little less difficult as far as energy levels go.

The second half of the hike was trouble though haha. It was muddy, the track was thin and there was a lot of low hanging trees. Neither Sara nor I had any problems with the physical aspect but you need to concentrate, foot placement was pretty crucial and I had totally made the wrong choice of footwear! Normally way over-equipped the bad choice of shoes came back to bite me in the ass.

One thing I would highly recommend for second half of the hike is hiking poles or at least some kind of stick to help support yourself. I’ve never been on such a slippery track and coming down you will be very very happy you have something to help support yourself with.

I am so pedantic about not getting muddy when I travel and normally I am really good at it but here I just had to relent and accept my fate. My shoes were completely covered in mud when we got down, my bag, shorts, and shirt were all also muddy due to falling several times. So make sure you bring something you are not planning on wearing that night or the next day.

No matter what you do you are going to get sweaty and muddy but the views and the experience are one that should not be missed while on Ometepe. The effort will not be lost on the end result of this beautiful hike.

What to bring to hike Maderas Volcano.

So this is just a guideline and you can obviously bring what ever you want but this list may help.

• Water I would say at least 2 liters per person. I drank 2 liters and would have been happy with more.
• Snacks, just something to keep the energy levels up. This was pretty important coming down as the risk of falling is real and more energy will help you stay focused.
• Hiking shoes or hiking boots. You will see from the photo I hiked in sneakers and that was a big mistake. I had perfect hiking boots in the van but I thought this was going to be a little more chill than it actually was.
• Hiking poles or some kind of supportive stick.
• I would suggest a rain jacket, I didn’t need it, it was close though, but depending on the time of year you almost certainly will! I linked Patagonia here because they are a sustainable company with a lifetime warranty on products, so you know the quality must be high and they are also a member of 1% for the planet! Think sustainable guys!

What Camera Gear We Use.

• Digital Camera: Sony A7Riii
• Drone: Mavic Pro 2
• Landscape Lens: Sony 16-35mm F2.8
• GoPro: GoPro Hero 7 Black Would upgrade to Hero 8 Black though
• Favorite Lens: Sony 24-70mm F4
• Circular Polarizer: Hoya Digital PRO1
• Power Bank: Anker PowerCore 20100 (A little heavy but amazing especially for multiday adventures)
• Tripod: Vanguard VEO 2 265AB

Tips on how to hike sustainably

So this is something we think about every time we go anywhere and it ranges from things as simple as buying a banana and making a sandwich instead of buying plastic wrapped products to buying clothing from companies that support sustainable business practices. These are just a couple of practices that can help a little.

Bananas are actually one of the most environmentally friendly things you can buy. They travel well, hold for a long time during transport and they have their own natural packaging.

Here are a few little tips to help you hike more sustainably.

If you travel and hike often one of the things I would suggest investing in is a Water bladder. Osprey makes a nice series of them that range from 1.5 liters to 3 liters. I use one of these every hike unless it is below negative 5(Which it shouldn’t be on Izta) then the water tends to get really cold and or freeze. The benefit for me is that as you drink the packaging gets smaller and you end up with more room in your pack for a jacket or something else you might take off later and you never actually have to take your bag off to get a drink, just hang the straw over your shoulder and drink as you see fit. It is also reusable for a long time. I have been using my current one since 2010. So that’s 9 years of constant use and it looks good for another 10years.

Now if a Camelbak is not your thing, I know some people really don’t like them a reusable non-plastic water bottle is also something that will cut a crazy amount of plastic waste out of your life. Sawyer filtered water bottle is a company making water bottles with built-in filters. The filter also comes with a million-gallon guarantee, meaning it should last your entire life. These are perfect for travel also as you can fill them up from any tap in any country and they will remove 99.99% of bacteria and most of the smells and weird taste of any different water source.

Food, food is almost always wrapped in plastic when you buy it but this has been a surprisingly easy one to get around. It may be a little harder if you are backpacking but we’re traveling in our van so we have a small kitchen. We have started to make everything and package it in reusable containers that we just take on the next hike. Sara has been perfecting making these protein balls that are a mix of oats, peanut butter, cranberries, almonds and whatever else we have lying around. Also fruit! But if you buy fruit do not throw the peel along the track. These things can take forever to break down especially if they are not regional fruits and no one really wants to see someone’s old orange or banana peel lying around on the track.

Clothing is something that is often overlooked as a sustainable product as you just kind of wear things till they are old and then throw them away but there is a range of companies out there these days that are making amazing products built to last. Patagonia is one company I can not push enough. They support so many environmental campaigns, they have a lifetime warranty on everything they sell and they give one percent of all sales back to small grassroots charities. They will also repair any clothes you take into them with minor issues.